Two Hours, Tops!
by Super Chino
Summary: Written for the OC Advent Challenge Seth and Ryan dread the evening that awaits them and agree to make it last no more than 'two hours, tops'. There is a possibility of an additional chapter to follow...


The Advent of OC challenge

Prompts: Stain, tomato, rain, shadows, lurch, lime jello and danglies. (I used all the prompts, do I get a Boobie prize?): D

Just a little bit of nonsense for fun: D Enjoy!

Two Hours, Tops 

Stepping out of the Rover, Ryan fell into step behind Seth, neither of them enthused about the night that lay ahead of them. Kaitlin had returned from boarding school and since most of her new friends were out of state, Kristen had volunteered the boys as guests for a small get together Julie was throwing for her. And we're talking small. The gathering included, Kaitlin and Julie, of course, Marissa and Summer…and thanks to Kirsten's kindness, Ryan and Seth.

Kaitlin wasn't the most approachable kid in Newport, let's face it, she was the 'mini-me' to Julie Cooper. Apparently the mold wasn't broken when they made Julie and Kaitlin was turning out to be a miniature walking copy of the gossiping, snotty Newpsie socialite. For that reason alone, Julie was proud of her.

The boys paused at the gate, both tipping their heads back at the giant McMansion that loomed over them. The full moon rising on this particular evening didn't offer any comfort. Instead it lengthened the shadows thrown across the lawn by the ridiculously enormous structure. Simultaneously sighing, Seth did what Seth did best…complain.

"This truly sucks Ryan."

"I know."

"Do you? Because as usually, you're being just a bit too passive about this."

"We don't have a choice Seth. Why make it worse than it is?"

"Why? I'll tell you why Ryan. Because it's the beginning of summer, it's Saturday night and we're on our way to a party for a child. A child, Ryan."

Frowning at Seth, "How old is she anyways?"

"Twelve, thirteen, I don't know…does it matter? No, it doesn't. What matters is the fact that were about to give up God knows how many hours of our life, which we'll never get back, for that little brat. So I ask you again Ryan, how can you be so passé about this?"

Shifting his weight, "Her Mom is Julie Cooper-Nichol," Ryan winced.

A silent exchange took place before they returned their attention to the fortress.

"Damn it. I hate it when you get all logical on me Ryan…and I hate it even more when you're right."

"Sorry."

"No you're not," Seth whined.

Forcing himself forward, Seth schlepped up the steps toward the front door with Ryan falling in behind him again. Both boys silently cursing the amount of steps it took to get to the front door. No one's house needed this many steps to the front door.

Reaching the doorstep at last, they paused again, neither wanting to be the one to ring the bell.

Opting to stall a bit longer, "You know, Ryan, I could dent your forehead and we could say something happened to you and we have to go home."

Lowering his eyebrows and narrowing his eyes at Seth, Ryan made it clear he didn't want his forehead touched.

"Or not. It was just a suggestion."

"Let's get this over with." Reaching across Seth, Ryan forcefully jabbed the doorbell, kicking off a series of singsong chimes inside the house.

"Hope you're happy. Now they know we're here."

Ryan's dirty look was interrupted by the click of the latch. There before for them stood the so-called reason for celebration.

"Hi guys," Kaitlin greeted, surprisingly upbeat.

Between the two boys, they both mumbled something that resembled 'Hey' and stood unwillingly on the porch.

Kaitlin was less than impressed. "Try to keep a lid on your enthusiasm guys. I mean really, how lame do you have to be that the only plans you could muster up on a Saturday night was a party for a twelve year old?"

Turning on her heel, Kaitlin bounded into the house as Seth reached out in an attempt to choke her with both hands.

Grabbing Seth by the back of the shirt, "Seth, Seth she's just a kid."

"Ryan that's what makes this so perfect! I'm a kid too! I could murder her and no one other than Julie would care!"

"Seth…"

"Promise me, two hours tops! Promise me that!"

"Fine, two hours, tops."

The Cooper-Nichol mansion was like something straight out of a horror film, especially at night. Granted, the furniture was more upscale and there wasn't a spider web to be found, still, it always came across as cold and uninviting and there were entirely too many hallways and niches in the house where a mass murderer could lie in wait, ready to lurch out at any moment. The fact that the house centered around Julie and Caleb made the idea even more plausible.

In the kitchen, they located Julie who was busy stuffing small tomatoes with tuna salad.

"Well, hello boys. Nice of you to come by."

"Like we had a choice," Seth mumbled under his breath, resulting in a jab in the ribs from Ryan's elbow.

Sighing, "I know you guys aren't really up for this and truth be told, I can only assume you're both being punished for something, otherwise, I can't imagine why you'd be here. But, I'm glad you came."

The full moon was definitely in full swing, with Kaitlin running around as the possessed child and Julie Cooper-Nichol being pleasant, all that was left was the dreary pipe organ music and the torrents of rain against the kitchen window, followed by a scream from an upstairs bedroom.

"Help yourselves boys, there's plenty of food. Grab a dish and fill it up."

Food. Ryan noticed Seth perk up immediately at the mention of food. Making a beeline to the oversized kitchen table, Seth snagged himself a plate and mulled over the choices spread out on the table. Following his lead, Ryan also picked up a dish and scanned the table for items he was interested in. As much as he didn't particularly like Julie, the woman could cook.

Reaching across the table, they both filled up their dishes with various items before getting to the end of the table where they both frowned at one particular item.

"That jello looks radioactive," Ryan complained at the sight of the phosphorescent substance filling a crystal bowl.

"It's lime jello Ryan. It's just…a little…brighter than normal. That's all."

"No. I know lime jello. I like lime jello. That…is not normal lime jello."

As if she knew there was a problem, "Finding everything okay guys?" Walking over to the table Julie scanned their dishes, pleased to see both boys were eager to eat the food she made. "Oh, you guys have to try this. It's excellent!"

Taking a large spoon of the neon substance that they were both leery of, she placed a glob on each of their plates, right in the middle of everything. "I promise, you'll love it! It's key lime! It's very good! Now have a seat outside at the patio table and I'll bring out some ice tea for you."

The boys felt like five year olds on a play date, being shuffled outside with their food. Sitting across from each other, both of them stared at the giant green glob on their dish and frowned at the fact it was now touching other items they were previously interested in.

"I'm not eating that," Ryan finally admitted, in a decided tone.

"Don't be such a stain, Ryan. Try it. What if you like it?"

"I know what I like and I don't like food that looks like it's been nuclear enhanced."

"Shh! Not so loud. Did you see how excited she was about it? You have to at least try it. This is Julie Cooper-Nichol jello we're talking about here. She'll have your danglies in her blender if you don't try it!"

"My what?"

"Your danglies…your…jewels…you know, "the boys", Seth enunciated.

Raising his eyes to meet Seth's concerned look, "A, leave my boys out of this. And B, eating something that looks like that is probably bad for them anyways. I think they'll take my side in this."

"Not as bad for them as Julie's blender."

Wincing at the thought, Ryan broke down and forked a mouthful of the neon green substance into his mouth while Seth watched with baited breath.

"And? Feel sick?"

Ryan's eyebrows went up and he shoved another forkful in his mouth. "It's good."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Try it."

Cautiously, Seth put some in his mouth. It only took a moment before he too, had his eyebrows raised and was nodding. "I think I like that."

Interrupting their conversation, Julie arrived with a pitcher of tea and a tray full of glasses. Setting everything down, she poured each boy a glass and noticed they were eating the jello.

"You tried my jello! So, what's the verdict? Do the boys like it?"

Her comment was enough to cause Ryan to choke on his tea while Seth backpedaled out of the awkward moment.

"The boys love it! It's very good!"

With his napkin still across his face Ryan glared at Seth across the table.

"Ryan, do you like it?" Julie asked, searching his face for an answer.

"I do. It's good."

Seth knew Ryan didn't like to be scrutinized by Julie so he jumped in with a save.

"Who knew that food of that…color…would be so refreshing."

Admittingly, "Yes, I know. The color is a bit of a turn off but once you taste it, you learn to ignore the color."

Realizing it was just the three of them on the patio, "Aren't Marissa and Summer supposed to be here?" Ryan inquired.

Sighing, Julie poured herself a glass of tea and sat down with the boys. "Yes, they were. The Cooper sisters aren't exactly supportive of each other. Marissa and Summer said they were running up to Fashion Island for an hour or so, 'two hours tops' she said, but they've been gone most of the day."

Ryan and Seth exchanged a look.

"Where's Kaitlin?" Seth asked.

"She went up to her room. I guess…even though I've been involved in planning some of Newport's best events, I can't seem to find what makes my own child happy. It's the curse of being a parent. Someday you'll see."

Smiling, Julie raised her glass to her mouth to signal she didn't want to talk about this topic any more. She hoped the boys would pick up on her hint.

Between themselves, Ryan and Seth were having a silent conversation and when both finally nodded a plan was put into motion. Seth of course, nodded 'out' of being the one to say something.

Wiping his face with his napkin, Ryan cleared his throat, hardly able to comprehend what he was about to do.

"Maybe Seth and I could take Kaitlin down to the pier. You know, play some games, do some rides. You buy, we'll fly?"

Amazed at Ryan's offer, a smile broke out across her face. "That's really sweet of both of you. It is. But you've already been through enough having to sit here and eat my psychedelic jello."

Feeling a little more confident, Seth jumped in. "We wouldn't offer if we didn't want to do it. I like Marissa and Summer, but it's pretty crappy that they couldn't show up at least to eat with her."

"I don't know guys. She's only twelve and it's already late," Julie mothered.

"Come on, it's summer. Just an hour. Two hours, tops," Ryan coaxed.

Weighing the boys' offer, "Alright, two hours, tops. You boys finish eating and I'll get some money together for you. You know where her room is. I'll let you ask her, otherwise she'll think I set the whole thing up."

Finishing their dinner, complete with second helpings much to Julie's delight, the boys started their long trek up the curving staircase and poked their heads in Kaitlin's room at the top of the stairs.

"Hey."

"Get out of here!"

"Kaitlin, what are you doing up here? You Mom's got all this great food downstairs and…"

"Shut up Seth! So what? Like it matters!"

Fed up with her spoiled brat routine, "Hey, it does matter," Ryan reprimanded sternly. "Take it from someone whose Mom never cared. My Mom never went out of her way to kick off summer break as something special. She never cooked anything special for me, even if it was my birthday. Not even a cake. Believe me, it matters. And if you'd drop this little attitude of yours for even ten minutes, maybe people would treat you differently."

Seth was impressed with Ryan's speech. It made him think about several things he'd taken for granted too.

With her arms still folded defiantly over her chest, and a pout still present on her lips, "So then what are you up here for?"

"We're going to the pier and thought you might want to come, get out of here for a while."

They watched her spit a laugh and shake her head.

"Yeah, we know it would be a stretch, you having to hang out with geeks like us and us having to hang out with a brat like you. It's a sacrifice on both sides. You can sit here and continue to pout if you want. We're gonna head to the pier. You're more than welcome to come along if you want."

For the first time in a long time, the boys noticed her face soften and they stood by, waiting for her reply.

After the front door shut, Julie didn't even wait for the car to pull out of the driveway, she was already racing across the house to the phone. Dialing rapidly she anxiously waited for the other party to answer.

"Come on, come on! Pick up!"

"Hello?"

"Ki Ki? It's Ju Ju! You have to come over right away! Right now!"

"What? Why? What happened? What about the party for Kaitlin? Do you need help?"

"Oh no, not at all. The party was a huge flop. No one came."

"No one came? Oh Julie that's terrible! I'm so sorry!"

"Oh don't be sorry! Your boys were the only ones that showed up and they offered to take Kaitlin down to the pier for a little while so…I have a kitchen table full of some of my best party foods, including my key lime jello. I can also make fresh margs if persuaded…"

"You made the key lime jello? I love that stuff! Definitely make the margs! Oh this will be fun!"

"Great! Just come on in when you get here. Oh, and don't dawdle, we only have an hour, two hours tops before they make their way back home."

"I'm on my way!"

(Click)


End file.
